Ida, Countess von Hahn-Hahn
Encyclopedia
Countess Ida von Hahn-Hahn was a German
author
.
. She was the daughter of Carl Friedrich Graf (Count) von Hahn
(1782 - 21 May 1857 Altona
), who was well known for his enthusiasm for stage productions, upon which he squandered a large portion of his fortune. In his old age, he was obliged to support himself by managing a provincial company, and died in poverty. His father was Friedrich Graf von Hahn
, a philosopher and astronomer.
In 1826, Ida married her wealthy cousin Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph Graf von Hahn, which gave her the doubled name. With him she had an extremely unhappy life, and in 1829, even before the birth of her mentally retarded daughter Antonie Gräfin von Hahn (1829-1856), her husband's irregularities led to a divorce. The existence of a second child, a son, by her partner and travelling companion Adolf Baron Bystram, supposedly born in 1830 and, like her daughter, put in someone's professional care, cannot be ascertained. The countess travelled, produced some volumes of poetry with true lyrical feeling, and in 1838 appeared as a novelist with Aus der Gesellschaft, a title which, proving equally applicable to her subsequent novels, was retained as that of a series, the book originally so entitled being renamed Ilda Schönholm.
For several years, the countess continued to produce novels bearing a certain subjective resemblance to those of George Sand
, but less hostile to social institutions, and dealing almost exclusively with aristocratic society. The author's patrician leanings at length drew upon her the merciless ridicule of Fanny Lewald
in a parody of her style entitled Diogena. Roman von Iduna Gräfin H..-H.. (1847), and this, as well as the death of Adolf Bystram in 1849, and the revolutions of 1848
seem to have co-operated in inducing her to embrace the Roman Catholic religion in 1850. She justified her step in a polemical work entitled Von Babylon nach Jerusalem (1851), which elicited a vigorous reply from Heinrich Abeken
, and from several others as well.
In November 1852, she retired into the Convent du Bon-Pasteur at Angers, France, which she, however, soon left in February 1853, taking up her residence at Mainz
. There she founded the convent Vom Guten Hirten, in which she lived from 1854 until her death there. She worked to reform outcasts of her own sex, but never joined the order, and continued her literary labours, producing Bilder aus der Geschichte der Kirche (3 vols., 1856-64), Peregrina (1864) and Eudoxia (1868).
The posthumous papers of Ida Hahn-Hahn include around 730 autograph units, consisting of around 520 letters written by her and more than 180 letters written to her, as well as book and poetry manuscripts. Since 2007, they are part of the Fritz Reuter Literary Archive
(Fritz Reuter Literaturarchiv) of Hans-Joachim Griephan in Berlin. The holdings include the correspondence, from 1844-1845, with Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau.
Her collected works, Gesammelte Werke, with an introduction by Otto von Schaching, were published in two series, 45 volumes in all (Regensburg, 1903-1904).
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Biography
She was born at Tressow, in the duchy of Mecklenburg-SchwerinMecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
. She was the daughter of Carl Friedrich Graf (Count) von Hahn
Von Hahn
von Hahn is the name of the German-Baltic-Russian noble family with the coat of arms: Striding red rooster on the silver shield.-Origin:...
(1782 - 21 May 1857 Altona
Altona
Altona may refer to:* Altona, Hamburg, Germany** Altona-Nord, Hamburg, Germany*Altona, Illinois, United States*Altona, Indiana, United States*Altona, Manitoba, Canada*Altona , New York, located in Clinton County or...
), who was well known for his enthusiasm for stage productions, upon which he squandered a large portion of his fortune. In his old age, he was obliged to support himself by managing a provincial company, and died in poverty. His father was Friedrich Graf von Hahn
Friedrich von Hahn
Friedrich II. Graf von Hahn was a German nobleman, a philosopher and astronomer.Von Hahn was born in Neuhaus, Holstein...
, a philosopher and astronomer.
In 1826, Ida married her wealthy cousin Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph Graf von Hahn, which gave her the doubled name. With him she had an extremely unhappy life, and in 1829, even before the birth of her mentally retarded daughter Antonie Gräfin von Hahn (1829-1856), her husband's irregularities led to a divorce. The existence of a second child, a son, by her partner and travelling companion Adolf Baron Bystram, supposedly born in 1830 and, like her daughter, put in someone's professional care, cannot be ascertained. The countess travelled, produced some volumes of poetry with true lyrical feeling, and in 1838 appeared as a novelist with Aus der Gesellschaft, a title which, proving equally applicable to her subsequent novels, was retained as that of a series, the book originally so entitled being renamed Ilda Schönholm.
For several years, the countess continued to produce novels bearing a certain subjective resemblance to those of George Sand
George Sand
Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, later Baroness Dudevant , best known by her pseudonym George Sand , was a French novelist and memoirist.-Life:...
, but less hostile to social institutions, and dealing almost exclusively with aristocratic society. The author's patrician leanings at length drew upon her the merciless ridicule of Fanny Lewald
Fanny Lewald
Fanny Lewald was a German Jewish author-Biography:She was born at Königsberg in East Prussia. When seventeen years of age she accepted Christianity. She traveled in the German Confederation, France and Italy...
in a parody of her style entitled Diogena. Roman von Iduna Gräfin H..-H.. (1847), and this, as well as the death of Adolf Bystram in 1849, and the revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
seem to have co-operated in inducing her to embrace the Roman Catholic religion in 1850. She justified her step in a polemical work entitled Von Babylon nach Jerusalem (1851), which elicited a vigorous reply from Heinrich Abeken
Heinrich Abeken
Heinrich Abeken , German theologian and Prussian Privy Legation Councillor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, was born and raised in the city of Osnabrück as a son of a merchant, he was incited to a higher education by the example of his uncle Bernhard Rudolf Abeken...
, and from several others as well.
In November 1852, she retired into the Convent du Bon-Pasteur at Angers, France, which she, however, soon left in February 1853, taking up her residence at Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. There she founded the convent Vom Guten Hirten, in which she lived from 1854 until her death there. She worked to reform outcasts of her own sex, but never joined the order, and continued her literary labours, producing Bilder aus der Geschichte der Kirche (3 vols., 1856-64), Peregrina (1864) and Eudoxia (1868).
Writings
For many years, her novels were the most popular works of fiction in aristocratic circles; many of her later publications, however, passed unnoticed as mere religious manifestoes. Her earlier works do not deserve the neglect into which they have fallen. If their sentimentalism is sometimes wearisome, her writings are grounded on genuine feeling and expressed with passionate eloquence. Ulrich and Gräfin Faustine, both published in 1841, mark the culmination of her power; but Sigismund Forster (1843), Cecil (1844), Sibylle (1846) and Maria Regina (1860) also obtained considerable popularity.The posthumous papers of Ida Hahn-Hahn include around 730 autograph units, consisting of around 520 letters written by her and more than 180 letters written to her, as well as book and poetry manuscripts. Since 2007, they are part of the Fritz Reuter Literary Archive
Fritz Reuter Literary Archive
The Fritz Reuter Literary Archive in Berlin, Germany collects autographs and manuscripts by 19th century authors from Mecklenburg, as well as editions of their works. The collections primarily include Fritz Reuter , who wrote mostly in Low German, and Ida Gräfin Hahn-Hahn , who wrote primarily in...
(Fritz Reuter Literaturarchiv) of Hans-Joachim Griephan in Berlin. The holdings include the correspondence, from 1844-1845, with Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau.
Her collected works, Gesammelte Werke, with an introduction by Otto von Schaching, were published in two series, 45 volumes in all (Regensburg, 1903-1904).
Further reading
- Gert Oberembt, Ida Gräfin Hahn-Hahn, Weltschmerz und Ultramontanismus (Bonn, 1980)